about that whole "blogging" thing...

...I guess I'm not very good at it, if good = consistent. But, I'm getting ready to leave the country again for a bit, and might have some typing-time available while I am traveling, so...maybe I can try?

So I'm on my way to Kenya for a little while. I'll be participating in a conference and will also visit a couple of our offices, then will return home.

I had a lovely ride to the airport this morning in one of the 'shuttles.' I was the only passenger, and was able to talk with the driver, who is from Sudan. We talked Sudan politics, religious diversity, life in Kansas City. He's been here for almost 8 years, and so I asked him how he feels about living in the U.S: "It's great. There are so many opportunities."

It's good to hear that...to be reminded. The fact that I have a job, that there are educational opportunities, etc etc...sometimes I get jaded about my own society, and forget to be grateful. I'm feeling a little more grateful today: for my home, and for the chance to share a little life with a stranger...

oh my friends.

Colin: you should fake your own explosion
and then i'll do the same
and then we can start new lives as unexploded people in the big city
nate can fake his own explosion too. we don't want to exclude him.

potential vs. poverty

So, yesterday a friend showed me this video...



While I think it's a little sad (does any kid [or adult for that matter] need to watch a movie that's so violent?), I appreciate the sentiment of focusing on potential rather than poverty. It's good to see some media that celebrates the dignity and spirit of people rather than glorifying the "pitiful." Eh??

you know you're getting old...

...when you spend your whole evening trying to stay awake until an "acceptable" bedtime (which is NOT 7:30pm).

what happened to fun and exciting Sara??

I've been ruined.

...so that every time I go to the supermarket I'm freaked out. All I can think about is how little the 'food' that is available to us actually resembles real food. And how absolutely ridiculous it is that we have literally dozens of options of bottles fruit juice, chips, butter-like substances. Who knows where these 'foods' come from, or what's actually in them?

It is probably a little dramatic to say that I've been "ruined." Perhaps I should say that I have been opened up to the possibilities of food, and have become blessedly more aware of my connection to the earth and to my community...

This is not some sudden awareness; I've been ruminating over these thoughts for several years now. But only recently do visits to the supermarket actually make me a little anxious. And a little angry.

at the end of the week, I'm exhausted.

at the beginning of the week, I'm exhausted.

...

that's all.

nicaragua!

So I’m going to Nicaragua tomorrow.

It will be a different sort of trip than I usually go on. This is a “Mission Awareness Trip” that is designed for sponsors so they can travel and meet their sponsored friend. I’m serving as the “CFCA-Kansas representative” since our president (who usually helps to facilitate these trips) is in the process of walking from Guatemala to Chile (no big deal).

So, it will be different. Definitely a different kind of work trip than I am used to...I’m hoping it’s more like a vacation? (Probably not, but I like to think about it that way.)

• One thing that is DEFINITELY different is that it is only one week long...hooray! THAT means that I can most likely fit all of my gear into a small suitcase that I can carry on. This way I can ensure that my bag won’t get lost in the air (or wherever lost bags go to). Plus...one week? That’s peanuts. (I think...I don’t actually know what that phrase means. I mean to say that “it’s really no big deal compared to the longer trips I usually go on.”)
• I won’t have to travel through 5,237 time zones to get there, or to come back.
• I can travel there within one day.
• Everyone there will speak Spanish. I don’t speak Spanish. But I can probably understand it better than Tamil, or Hindi, or Telugu, or Malayalam, or Santali, or Swahili, or Luo.
• I get to shop for souvenirs. Any requests?

This will be my third trip this year. WHEW. It feels like a lot. I’m pretty sure, however, that this will be my last trip of the year, which is good. It will be nice to have a long break.